“Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories” also known in Japan as “Yami Shibai” (闇芝居 Yami Shibai, lit. Dark Play) and “Theater of Darkness” is a 2013 Japanese animated series.

The first season was directed by Tomoya Takashima, with scripts written by Hiromu Kumamoto and produced by ILCA. Each episode was animated in such a way so as to mimic the kamishibai method of story-telling. The series is organized into a collection of shorts with each episode being only a few minutes in length. Each episode features a different tale based on myths and urban legends of Japanese origin.

The first season premiered on TV Tokyo on July 14, 2013, and ran for thirteen episodes until September 29, 2013. A sec
ond season aired from July 6, 2014, to September 28, 2014, and was directed by both Takashi Shimizu and Noboru Iguchi along with scripts written by Shōichirō Masumoto. The third season aired between January 11, 2016, and April 3, 2016. A fourth season aired between January 16, 2017 and March 26, 2017. A fifth season aired on July 2, 2017 and ended on October 1, 2017.